Houston Texans: 3 Reasons why Marlon Mack improves the offense in 2022

1. Marlon Mack can be a 1,000-yard rusher once again

After Mack returned to the Colts in ’21 after missing all but one game of the ’20 season with the Achilles tear he suffered in Week 1, he didn’t get much playing time in ’21 when he was activated by Indianapolis.

Mack in ’21 finished with six games active with zero starts (he was now playing behind Jonathan Taylor), totaling 28 carries for 101 yards rushing and no touchdowns. Mack last scored a touchdown in the ’19 season, where he had his lone 1,000-yard season at 1,091 yards with eight rushing touchdowns on 247 carries. That season, Mack averaged 4.4 yards per carry. Also in ’19, Mack caught 14 passes (17 targets) for 82 yards.

In his second season (2018), Mack rushed for 908 yards on 195 carries in 12 games (10 starts). That season, he averaged 4.7 yards per game.

The last Texans running back to rush for 1,000 or more yards in a season was Carlos Hyde in 2019 when he rushed for 1,070 yards, which is the eighth best rushing season in franchise history. Before that, the best season was 2016 when Lamar Miller rushed for 1,073 yards in 2016.

Mack has proven he’s capable of being a 1,000-yard rusher, but with not many carries the past two seasons, the question is how long will it take Mack to work himself back into the player he once was?

Who knows, Mack might not ever be the rusher he was in 2918-19, but that doesn’t mean he still can’t be a success in the NFL or with Houston. Mack is a very talented player who can and will make the Texans a better offense if he’s on the field.

Even if he weren’t on the field, Mack can hopefully give guidance to the players on the offense because he’s “been there and done that” so to speak, and after watching this offense last season, any help is welcome.

Again, Mack makes the Houston offense better than what the unit was last season, and if he can be the player he was in ’19, the rest of the NFL had better be on notice.